Live Stats // Video Stream
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- For the second game in a row, the Christopher Newport field hockey team will welcome a nationally-ranked opponent to Jennings Family Stadium as the Captains host No. 20 Salisbury in a Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference tilt on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Coming into the midweek match-up, Christopher Newport sits at 9-4 overall, including 5-0 at home. Meanwhile, Salisbury is 9-6 with a 6-3 mark on the road.
For those fans unable to attend the game, live stats and a video stream of the action will be available at CNUsports.com. Direct links to both features can be found at the top of this release and on the schedule page.
The Captains are coming off of a 2-0 victory against No. 18 Lynchburg on Friday evening. Against the Hornets,
Vivian Pope drove home a second-quarter strike and was celebrated as the league's Offensive Player of the Week for that showcase. Later,
Katie Abendschoen added some insurance with a dagger in the third period. Meanwhile, the defense limited the Hornets to only one on-target shot, which marked the fewest by a nationally-ranked opponent in program history.
On the defensive side, Christopher Newport also blocked four shots, including two by
Abby Asuncion and one each by
Izzy Diz and
Marcella Sabbagh. Meanwhile,
Nyla Lewis helped anchor the midfield unit and penalty corner defense while earning the conference's Defensive Player of the Week Award.
Overall this season, Christopher Newport boasts the NCAA's 11th-ranked scoring offense, which is averaging 4.08 goals-per-game. Incredibly, four Captains rank among the conference's top-six performers in total points. Asuncion leads the way with 29, while
Mauri Ware is fourth with 24. Rounding out the high-volume scorers, Abendschoen is fifth with 17 points, and Sabbagh is sixth with 16.
Salisbury comes into Wednesday following a hard-fought 3-2 setback against No. 6 Rowan on Saturday. Against the Profs, the Sea Gulls jumped out to a 2-1 lead entering the final stanza, but Rowan registered a pair of unanswered goals in the final nine minutes to steal the come-from-behind victory.
One of the nation's top-ranked defenses, Salisbury sits 21st in the country in goals-against-average as the Sea Gulls have surrendered just 0.98 goals per game in 2021. Dom Farrance also ranks 30th among goalkeepers with a .787 save percentage. On the offensive end, McKenzie Jamison leads the team with six goals and 14 points, while Allie Davis and McKenzie Mitchell are tied for second on the team with 13 points.
In 26 previous meetings between the two programs, Salisbury holds a 21-5 edge in the series. The Sea Gulls have also won the last four meetings, including a 2-1 triumph in the 2019 Capital Athletic Conference Championship.
Following Wednesday's game, Christopher Newport will return to action on Saturday when the squad wraps up the regular season at home with a 5 p.m. battle against York (Pa.).
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